Gab coupling



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

T. WOOD.

GGAB. GOUPLING. No. 808,229. Patented Nov. 18, 1884.

. HIIIIIIIHI "uuu",

y Jemig?.

T/vz, v I

RWJJUM I @MW (No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2. T. WOOD.

GAR COUPLING.

No. 308,229. Patented Nov. 18, 1884.

'TL F1a-5. 25

A ,i n Q FICHQ.

, ihvrren STnTes PATENT Ormea.

THOMAS VOOD, OF MANCHESTER, COUNTY AOF LANCASTER, ENGLAND.

CAR-COUPLING.

CPECIFECATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 308,229, dated November 18, 1884.

Application filed August 14, 1884. (No model.

To rtZZjwtom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, TrroMAs WOOD, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, and residing at Manchester, county of Lancaster,have invented Improvementsin the Construction ofSelf-Acting Couplingsvfor Railway-Carriages, (for which I have obtained a patent in Great Britain, No. 2,097, dated April 25, 1883,) of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to construct l a self-acting coupling for railway-carriages which will not require the attendance of a man between the carriages at the time of coupling constructed as follows: I attach to one end of the frame a a of a carriage a trame carrying three shackles. This frame consists of a plate or bar, b b, placed transversely across the end of thecarriage between the buifers c c, and held in place by two rods, Z (Z, which pass through the under frame or head-stock aa of Vthe carriage, and may be connected thereto by springs alter the manner of the ordinary draw-bars, or as shown on the drawings. Each end of this plate or bar is attached to the frame a a of the carriage by the ordinary chain, c c, a third chain, ff, connecting it to a hook on the usual central draw-bar, g g. The ordinary chains, e e, may, however, be dispensed with, if thought proper, as shown at Fig. 4,

4 and an adjustable link, f, may be substituted for the central chain, as shown at Fig. 2.

The shackles h h h, above mentioned, engage with three hooks, 't' t" t, either fixed so as to be capable of a certain yielding action to the under frame-work or head-stock of the adjacent carriage, as shown, or carried by a frame similar to the shackle-frame. Alocking arrangement (see Fig. 3) to be worked from either. side of the carriage is provided to pre- Patented in England April 25, 1883,1No. 2,097.

vent the shackles ZL h Zt from becoming accidentally disengaged from the hooks i t" fi".

At the front of the head-stock or frame a a of thc carriage (or of the frame carrying the hooks) is a sliding bar, 7c k, provided with three hook-shaped projections, Z Z Z, and with the handles m m at either end. These hookshaped projectionsZ Z Z correspond with the three hooks t' t" t, so that when on the two carriages coming in contact the shackles h Z1. h are lifted and fall over the hooks this sliding bar 7c Zt may be moved from either side of the carriage until the hook-shaped projections Z Z Z coincide with the ends of the hooks and Ilock the shackles in position, (see Figs. 2 and 3,) at the same that they allow free horizontal play thereto. (See Fig. l.) The hooks may be provided in some cases with self-fastening locks consisting of small weighted levers which yield to the weight of the shackles, but immediately that they (the shackles) have i'allen down onto the hooks return and lock them in. I n this case the transverse sliding bars would be made with wedge-shaped projections to lift the weighted ,ends of these small locking-levers, in order to uncouple the carriages.

The hooks t' t" t being unlocked, the shackles 7c k Zt may be lifted by the hand-levers a n at the sides of the carriages, in order to uncouple the same; and it will be evident that by this construction the man in attendance need not go between the buffers to couple or uncouple thc carriages or,instead of .the handlevers, the shackles may be lifted by the inclined planes q q on the sliding bar 7c 7c, as shown at Fig. 3, by sliding the same in the reverse direction to the locking movement.

In some cases I prefer to use only one shackle, h Z1., and hook t' t', and to connect the shackleframe bb d d to the spring o0 of the draw-bar gg, as shown at Fig. 4. The rods cZfZ are united inside the frame by a second plate or bar, b b, which is fixed to the draw-bar and bears against the draw-bar spring o o, and through which pass the rods cZ eZ, being also provided with additional springs p p. Thus, should any of the connections between the draw-bar and the bar b Z1 break, the side rods, d (Z, will take up the coupling. This connection may be a simple chain, as in Figs. 1, 2, and 4, or it may be in the form of an ordinary screw-coupling; or,

screwed up vwhen required, (see Fig. 5;) or II fix on the screw a small disk or wheel, r r, as shown at Fig. 6, having notches in its periphery, whereby it may be turned round by a lever or key without going between the carriages. This disk or wheel is provided with aloose swinging bracket, s s, carrying a catch, tt, which, when the shackle has been screwed up, is allowed to fall into one of the notches,

so as to prevent the screw from turning round and working loose.

These improved couplings may be used either with or without the ordinary side chains and hooks. In thelatter case the side chains may be hooked up out of the way, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 4.

The shackle-bar b b is not attached permanently to the side rods,d ll, but is dropped into a notch in the ends thereof, (see Figs. 2, 4, and 5,) and secured by a pin, di, or other suitable device, so that should two carriage-ends pro vided with shackle-frames accidentally come together the bar carrying one set of shackles Vcan be removed, and the shackles of the other bar will then couple with the ordinary drawhooks on the carriage-frame or head-stock from which the bar was detached, the above-described locking apparatus being applied in either case. On the other hand, should two carriage-ends provided with hooks only come together, a shackle-bar could in like manner be substituted, as each end of each carriage is 4o provided with the notched side rods, cl el.

I claim as my inventionl. rIhe sliding frame composed of the rods or bar b b (carrying the three self acting shackles h h' 7W) and the rods d cl, tted to slide through the ordinary head-stock, a a, of the carriage, and provided with coiled springs abutting against the same, as illustrated by Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings.

2. The arrangement for locking the shackles from either side of the carriage, consisting of 5o a sliding bar, lc k, provided with three hookshaped projections, lll, and with handles m m at either end, as'illustrated by Figs. l, 2, and 3.

3. The cornbination,with the sliding bar lc k, of the wedge-shaped projections q q, for lifting the locking-levers of the shackles when such are employed.

4. The combination, with the sliding frame b b d el, (carrying one self-acting shackle only,) of the additional plate b b', bearing against the drawbar spring o o, as shown at Figs. 4 and 5.

5. The combination, with the sliding frame b b b b cl 0l, of an ordinary screw-coupling having attached to the right and left hand screw thereof1 a stud-wheel or a notched disk,where by the coupling can be screwed up by a chain or lever from either side without going between the carriages, as illustrated by Figs.- 5 and 6, all the parts being constructed, arranged, and operated substantially as for the purposes hereinbefore set forth, described, and illustrated.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS WOOD. Witnesses:

J. EDw. BEnsLEY, EnuUND S. SNEWIN, Both of 2 Popes Head Alley, Oornlrlll, London,

gentlemen.. 

